#and the skull chomping on the heart

[kurogxrix]

Ummm….this is my first time doing this but Is there any chance I can please request a ao’nung x dreamwalker shyreader, he’s deeply in love with her despite they’re already together. Like the whole and every clan especially the children adore her. Bonus: The sullys are surprised theirs a dreamwalker at the meytikayna clan, pretty cute that Jake and Neytiri sees themselves in ao’nung and her 💙💙💙

No Cap

Ao’nung x Metkayina!Avatar!reader

The strangers' arrivals in Awa’atlu didn't take much to shake confusion and interest within the Metkayina clan. A crowd of aqua skinned na’vis circled the omaticaya family as they dismounted their Ikrans, Toruk Makto and his family themselves presenting themselves before the people. 

Pushing their way through the crowd, Ao’nung and Rotxo arrived on scene. The duo was like salt and pepper, never one without the other. The fierce looks on their faces didn’t go unnoticed by the two Sully boys that greeted them, before it switched to a teasing one. God, it was bad already that everyone was staring at them like they were a bunch of forest freaks, and now the Olo’eyktan’s son was making fun of them too? 

Everything went quiet in Lo’ak’s head when he caught a glimpse of a certain Metkayina girl emerging from the water. She was beautiful, unlike any girl that he had ever seen before in the forest. Neteyam observed his brother before turning his head towards Tsireya, noticing another girl following close after. Gracefully as ever, Tsireya and you exited the waters that you loved so much to check an eye out on the large crowd of na’vis. Though you couldn’t yet feel the obnoxious stares of the strangers on you and your best friend, Ao’nung surely had. 

His nose bridge creased as the Sully boy’s eyes strayed on you for too long, but he refrained himself from baring his teeth just yet. Neteyam quickly looked away from you, not wanting to get on the boy’s bad side even more than he and his family already were. You yelped once you came close enough to Ao’nung, feeling him pull you by the arm and onto his side. 

Though Rotxo’s and Ao’nung’s name calling season of the two Sully brothers came to end due to Tsireya’s scolding. Their parents soon followed shortly on their respective skimwings. You swatted a hand at Ao’nung when he made fun of the family for flinching when the Olo’eyktan flew his creature above their heads, landing in the waters beside you all. Your boyfriend only playfully bared his teeth at you, chomping down onto nothing as it made a loud resonating sound. 

Your attention had been stolen away from Ao’nung by none other than his mother, the Tsahik Ronal. You winced internally as you knew that this poor family was about to pass through hell and back under the judgement of the Tsahik, because you had been there at first. You remember your arrival at Awa’atlu like no other, mostly due to the fact that Ronal had quite literally held you under the sharp blade of her spear.

It was scary, if not terrifying as the many eyes of the reef na’vi turnt towards you in hatred. Though the Metkayina had never faced the ruthless face of human destruction, stories from around the globe spread faster than ever. It took you long for you to stand where you now stood, but you were proud of yourself for getting through it. 

You heard Tsireya sigh from besides you as she watched her mother forcefully grasp the hand of the eldest daughter, bringing it up to her face for a better look. Though the crowd of reed na’vi didn’t shake until she moved towards the son. 

“These children are not even true na’vi, they have demon blood!” you felt your heart stop as Ronal lifted the youngest son’s hand up for the whole village to see, and their noises of displeasures made you cave into yourself. You looked down at the palms of your hands shamefully, your ears stuck to your skull. 

Though it doesn’t even take a minute for Ao’nung to notice your pity-party. He moved his 4 fingered hand to hold onto your 5 fingered one, his thumb rubbing circles over your back hand. You couldn’t stand to look up at him and into those awaiting eyes, because you knew that he’d just read you more than he already had. Ao’nung knew the ways into your heart way too well, and sometimes you cursed him internally for being such a good people-reader.

It was maybe also because you were too shy to meet his flaming gaze, but that’s a story for another time. A mere look from the boy was enough to stir deep feelings inside of your stomach, and it was the last thing that you needed for now as you watched the poor family with pity. You could only pray that Ronal would spare them her sympathy. 

You knew that the clan loved you, that they accepted you as one of their own. After all, whether they wanted it or not, your boyfriend was the chief’s son. You knew that somewhat, this feeling of insecurity was stupid, because the Metkayina didn’t  treat you as an outcast or as a reject. On the contrary, they trusted you with their children, which was already one big step in acceptance.

The children loved you, begged for you to come play with them everytime that you were spared from training. Yet, as you watched the omaticaya children being shamed for something that you relate to, you couldn’t help the feeling of gnawing pain in your chest. What was so different between you and them? For all you knew, you were closer to those ‘demons’ than they actually were, because at the end of the day, you were still human. 

You still needed to feed and bathe your human body as your avatar slept comfortably at night. You still needed an exopack when you were not in your na’vi body, and for all you knew, these children didn’t. 

You were cut off from your self-deprecating thoughts at the booming sound of Tonowari’s voice. He told the village to treat the Sullies well, to welcome them into their home land asif it were their own. Your heart visibly relaxed at the sound of it, and you knew that the distressed family would have a roof above their heads tonight and a warm meal to feed their stomachs. 

“My son Ao’nung, my daughter Tsireya will show your children what to do.” you felt your boyfriend’s hand being ripped away from yours as he moved before his father, trying to protest his way out of it. Though it was short lived as he was roughly scolded by Tonowari. 

“Their dear friends, Rotxo and Y/N will assist them with making you feel at home.” Everyone turnt to look at the both of you, and you coward under their eyes. It didn’t help that their mother looked all intimidating and irritated. You watched anxiously as Neytiri’s eyes widened subtly, and you could obviously see that she was gazing above your eyes. 

God how stupid were you to believe that they wouldn’t catch up to you in mere seconds. After all, her husband was an ex dreamwalker, and some of her children had inherited his odd traits. How could she not notice the weird hairs upon your brow bones, or the extra finger that you shared in common with her children. You soon curled into yourself as you realised that it was not only Neytiri that was staring rudely, but quite literally the whole strange family. 

Although you could understand where it was coming from, because you were pretty sure that your program had not been informed to all sectors of the main lab. Words must’ve never gotten through Jake Sully’s ears, because they were visibly raised in shock. He must’ve only been aware of omaticaya avatars around, you must have been the first Metkayina dreamwalker to ever be programmed. 

“Quit staring, more moving!” your boyfriend came to the rescue as his words shook the omaticaya family out of their staring trance. Ronal smiled proudly from the sidelines as she watched her son stand up to those Sullies, mostly because of her little hissing altercation with Neytiri earlier. 

You appreciated the attention being short lived as the family thanked the whole of you, missing no time in following Tsireya to their new home. God you could’ve pounced on your boyfriend on the spot for saving you from their prying eyes, but that wouldn’t make a good image of you infront of his mother now would it. 

“Cmon, let’s go help them settle. I’m sure that with arms this thin, they could use your help.” you tried to motivate him, holding softly onto his forearm as you turned him back to look at you. Your voice was low but you watched as his ears raised at your comment, clearly feeding at his ego as you compared him to the omaticaya boys. He smirked as he dragged you by the arm again, making you grin as you watched that smile rise on his face again.

His thick tail swooshed around the place, knocking your lower back as you both laughed it off. You bounced on the stretchy material of the bridge, hopping next to your boyfriend with a few woven bags upon your shoulders. 

-

“You good?” you heard the deep voice of your boyfriend next to you, turning your head around to be met with the beautiful sight of the bonfire kissing his skin. The orange hue enveloped his skin in a beautiful mix of colours, and you felt yourself going shy under his stare. 

Ao’nung looked down at your chest to see a child sleeping comfortably on you. More specifically, the youngest son of Ayka, a close friend of yours. He admired the way the boy fit perfectly into your arms, before swivelling his eyes back to you. Though this time you were not looking at him like you previously was, instead you were staring at the bonfire with that frown that he hated so much sprawled upon your face. 

“Don’t take what my mother has said to heart, y’know she doesn’t mean it.” His hand found yours alongside the back of the sleeping child, his hand visibly bigger than yours. Though you find it hard to believe when she said it with so much resentment. Her tone was practically thick and full of it, and you didn’t know who to listen to anymore. 

“She’s just trying to find ways to not make them stay, she’s just scared yawne,” you smile coyly at the nickname, trying to hide behind your free hand as Ao’nung was still holding the other down. The sound of his deep chuckle made your chest flutter.  “She’s scared for her people, for her family, and you’re part of it.” 

Ao’nung watched as you slowly crept your way out of the hand wall that you had built yourself, your round aqua eyes staring at him so innocently. “She loves you too, like a daughter of her own.” 

“And soon I'll make you her actual daughter-in-law,” he teased and your ears raised comically at his comment. You gasped mockingly at his part-crude comment as he referred to the both of you mating, but you both knew that it was too early for that. Soon the time will come for you both to move up to the next step, but for now you’d enjoy your youth a little more. Plus as much as much as Ao’nung would love to see you as his little wife waking up everyday next to him, he also knew that it was not the time yet. 

“No cap?” you asked, using one of the human slangs that you had learnt and shared with him. Though he hated anything related to the human species, he couldn’t help but love you in every shape and form. He knew that once you were out like a light, your avatar sleeping peacefully in his arms at night, you would have to wake up in your human body to take care of yourself.

Sometimes Ao’nung would even suck it up and visit you at your outpost. Though it wasn’t that hard for him to do, because there weren’t many humans at the Metkayina shack, just enough to help you to keep going. 

“No cap.” he repeats, though he doesn’t sound interested in what he’s saying at all. You craned your neck to look up at him, his free hand raising to rest comfortably on your cheek as the other one kept laying on the child’s back. Ao’nung crept his face closer to yours as his eyes kept on switching between your eyes and mouth. 

For once, you didn’t feel shy at all to make the first step. Inevitably it had shocked Ao’nung as you leaned all the way before he even could, pressing your lips against him in a soaring kiss. The warm hand on your cheek followed along. 

Your ears fluttered back as you melted into the kiss, turning your face to the side to catch more of him. Ao’nung was like a drug, you just couldn’t get him off your mind nor could you get enough of him. He was like a constant thought running wild at the back of your head, being constantly sought out. You can't really tell what you would do of yourself if one day he decided to up and go, but you’d enjoy what you have for now. 

Unbeknownst to the both of you, the child that was resting upon your chest had already risen from his slumber. The high pitched ‘Ew’ made you jump a little from surprise, quickly moving away from each other as the boy wiggled his way out of your arms. 

The previous thoughts that you had of Ao’nung possibly deciding to leave you one day completely vanished as he stared you down with that lovesick gaze. His eyes sparkled like no other when he looked at you, and you found yourself falling under a similar spell everytime that you would look at your boyfriend. 

-

i didn’t really know how to make the reader any shyer i’m so sorry anon😭 hope you liked it either ways!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

rabbit costume + luxe couture miss raven

Because I love the Alice in Wonderland aesthetic and White Rabbit Fest is running in EN right now… 😭 I decided to make a Rabbit Costume for my OC! Figured I’d also do the same for the event running in JP at the same time, Tapis Rouge in the Shaftlands.

Special thanks goes to @peripheralsanity for the super adorable bonus drawing of Miss Raven in her Rabbit Costume 😭 I wanna cram that bunny into my mouth like an Easter marshmallow…

My own doodles are below the cut, along with various design notes 📝

First up, the Rabbit Costume!

It takes a lot of inspiration from Alice herself: the bow in her hair, the dress, the apron. Miss Raven’s Heartslabyul dorm uniform design also pulls inspiration from Alice, so I tried very hard to make this look unique from that!

There’s a lot more bows, frills, and huge, goofy-looking accessories—like the rabbit ears + tail plus the shoes. The outfit also features a lot of pastel checkerboard pattern and shimmery makeup, like what is featured in Deuce’s Rabbit Costume. Upon closer inspection, there’s even more intricacies! Raven’s apron has heart-shaped pockets, the apron’s top has card motifs stitched into it, and the corset belt has a rabbit slowly dressing and then taking up a bugle to play. The transition demonstrates her own adaption to living among non-animals 😅

The rabbit on her skirt, chain, prize ribbon, and earring aren’t the White Rabbit but a cobbled together rabbit that’s missing an eye. The XO Rabbit poses as and stillinvokes the image of the White Rabbit, especially when it’s right next to a pocket watch. It fits Raven, who is someone not “organically” in the world of TWST (since she’s an OC).

I think my favorite part of this design is the super wacky and big hair. You may recognize it from the Hatsune Miku x Cinnamoroll campaign that was popular a while back. The shape reminded me of bunny ears, so I thought it would be nice to incorporate into Raven’s Rabbit Costume.

There’s so many strange things in clock town to observe! Miss Raven would have a fun time hopping around and seeing the sights… documenting them with Ortho, picking out clocks and other souvenirs with Silver, chomping through the local specialties with Epel. Ah, and as for Deuce 🤔 “Your son is trying very hard in his studies, ma’am,” she’d tell Dylla very seriously. “I commend him for his efforts.” (She very tactfully focuses on his improvements and personal growth over the actual numbers he produces.) Students of 1-A gotta look out for each other, right? Deuce fist bumps her behind her back or something to signal his thanks.

Miss Raven isn’t the athletic type, so I don’t think she would run in the relay race with them. (It would be hard to run in that dress anyway.) She can stick on the sidelines and cheer for them…!

Next is the Luxe Couture!

I actually made two variants. One is more inspired by the Fairest Queen’s raven and the other is similar to the SR and R boys’ huntsman-inspired designs.

The first has more of an old-fashioned movie star feel to it… which isn’t really what Vil invited the other students for so it falls outside of canon 😂 I just thought it would be cool to have a more personalized, glamorous fit for Raven.

She has much darker and more excessive eye makeup in this version. A bold, more confident look outside of her usual wheelhouse. Her hair is also curled into her face to resemble feathers, and her bun also has strands spiked up to look like feathers too. The dress itself is also very feathery, forming a train behind her wherever she stomps in her heels. The top of the dress also acts as a feather boa, making her appear larger and more intimidating than she actually is.

If you’re wondering why tiny skull earrings, it’s because the Evil Queen’s raven falls into a skull at one point in the movie 💀 since it’s so taken aback by what it is witnessing… That “wow!” but also somewhat scared feeling is very similar to how Raven feels entering Fairest City, so I wanted to include a skull in some way. If I made the motif too big or too obvious, then it might clash with the whole ensemble so I chose to go with an understated accessory instead.

This look is definitely the most “different” of the group, but I tried to keep some elements in common with the others. For example, Raven still has the lace curtain which appears from where her dress is slit. She also has sheer gloves that have been studded with little white rhinestones. The jewels aren’t as big or colorful as Vil’s, but that’s the point: to not outshine the star. Miss Raven is nothing more than the shadow that clings to its queen 😌

The more group-cohesive outfit is last!

It’s a similar double-breasted beige coat as Jamil’s, but it fans out into a dress + slacks at the bottom and has different sleeves. The puffiness of the sleeves at the shoulder and wrists make her seem large and in-charge! The buttons on her coat are large pearls.

I tried to maintain the huntsman’s color scheme throughout the outfit. Because of this, Raven’s belt is red and the lace in her dress is green. Her boots are similar to hiking boots (just picture them fancier in your head OTL I’m not great at drawing footwear).

We get her forehead in this design!! Her hair is pulled back into a “fancier than usual” ponytail, with her hair bunched into one loop before resuming as a normal ponytail. The clasp she uses is similar to the one Vil wears in his school uniform. Originally, I thought of just shoving an arrow through instead but decided against it since it makes the huntsman theme too obvious. The same reasoning came up when I considered giving Raven a small cocktail hat that looks similar to what the huntsman wore. Her head just looks so naked without something there 😂 but in the end I managed to refrain, and I think that helped the outfit look more clean and elegant.

Raven would be excited to visit Fairest City—it’s the capital of the entertainment industry! Though her main medium is quite different than that of films, she’s always wanted to visit for educational purposes. (Maybe she can learn from the scriptwriters there!) “At least one of you cares to learn,” Vil would tut. The trip’s a little stressful, trapped between Jamil and Azul’s petty remarks at one another and Ace teasing her for being the “odd one out” of the group—but hey, it’s all worth it for the experiences made there! I’d imagine that Raven loves all the pampering they get and all the important people they meet, it makes her feel like a real princess. Everywhere she looks, the streets and stores are shining too! Her raven blood is soaring. “I didn’t realize you had such excitable juniors, Vil,” Eric would chuckle. (“Waaaah, so cool! Like a prince!!” Raven would gush, earning eye rolls from her classmates and a groan from Ace.)

Walking on the red carpet wouldn’t interest her that much; she doesn’t like the attention so she tries hard to just fade behind the others and play support as best she can. Carrying Vil’s things or helping him with his makeup is no problem, just don’t thrust her under the spotlight and all the flashing cameras!

[shiyorin]

The Imperium Shelter

Adoption Poster: Angron

Name: Angron (he refuses to answer to anything else)

Species: Primarch

Breed: World Eater

Age: Approximately 3 weeks (though he's been through a lot, so his physiology has aged faster than average.)

Background: Found this one half-starved and raging in the pits of Nuceria. Covered in scars and barking about some nonsense. Took a lot of tranquilizers just to get him home in one piece, let me tell you! His previous "owners" clearly abused him. Poor boy. Or so I suppose…

Anyway, we rescued Angron and have been rehabilitating him through positive reinforcement techniques (definitely no mood-altering neurotransmitter adjustments used, no sir!). No wonder he developed some, er, behavior issues. But with plenty of tender loving care and training, I'm sure he'll learn to curb those homicidal tendencies. I mean, normal primarch tendencies!

Personality: Angry would be an understatement. This one is pure rage walking! Snarls and lunges at anything that moves, frothing at the mouth like some rabid animals. Absolutely no social skills, nearly took my hand off just for trying to give him a treat! I'd be wary leaving small children unsupervised around him, if you catch my drift. Let's just say he takes "aggressive" to a whole new level.

But give him a chance to warm up to you, earn his trust, and I'm sure he'll calm down! Sure, he may try to bite your face off at first, but I promise once he gets used to you he'll stop seeing every interaction as a threat or challenge. Might take a few… I mean, a lot of training sessions. But he means well deep down, the poor dear just wants to be loved!

Skills: Surprisingly dexterous for one so enraged. Could probably handle advanced weaponry or driving vehicles if provoked, so keep an eye on the car keys for sure. He already knows basic commands like "attack," "kill," "Skull for the Skull Throne!" No, strike that, I have no idea where that came from! He's a quick learner regardless. Also seems preternaturally strong, literally ripped the bars off his cage on the first night! And could wrestle a grown man to the ground, break his spine with a chomp. Of course, he would never do that!

In summary, Angron is one angry boy with a lot of special needs. Strict owner only, with experience handling extreme cases. Lots of patience, training and muzzles required. Adoption not recommended for the faint of heart! But who could resist that underbite… He just needs the right home to reach his true potential as a war machine! I mean, loyal primarch. Who's a good boy?!

Signed,

The Emperor

(Angron tries to bite his hand as he says that last part)

Comments from the employees:

M*******: I wouldn't recommend adopting Angron. He tried to bite my arm off during feeding time.

Big E: Nonsense Malcador, I'm sure you were provoking him. Angron just wants love, you'll do fine!

V*****: With respect sir, Angron is dangerously unstable. He killed three of our security measures. Even with sedatives he's too risky. Perhaps a more seasoned professional handler could manage him, if anyone can.

Big E: Quit scaring people Valdor, he was just playing! Weren't you boy? Angron foams rabidly See, happy as a clam. Next!

O*******: I understand the desire to rehabilitate him sir, but adopting out Angron could endanger lives. For the safety of the public and his own well-being, long term confinement and treatment seem best.

Big E: No Ollanius. Angron just wants someone to show him love. I'm sure with the right owner he'll come around, won't you boy? Angron bites his pants leg Down boy! So what do you say, is he yours?

[spicymushroomz]

Mess Ups

Leander Prewett x Reader

Summary: Reader works up the courage to ask Leander Prewett out after 2 years of liking him.

Word Count: 978

Warnings: None

*NOT PROOFREAD

Authors Note: this is my first fic! Please enjoy

You had been going to Hogwarts for only 2 years, and a lot has certainly happened. But the most confusing thing of them all had to be the boy you found yourself in love with.

Leander Prewett. A tall, freckled, red-headed boy in Gryffindor. He was the prefect, and had a tendency to brag. The catch was that he messed up quite a lot. You found it quite endearing.

Your first time seeing him had been in DADA where he and Sebastian Sallow had started dueling. Leander had almost gotten a giant skull dropped on him. If not for Professor Hecat. Your first official meeting however, was in Herbology where he had volunteered to show you the chinese chomping cabbages.

He walked behind you, letting you lead the way as he complimented your dueling against Sebastian in DADA.

“That was quite the duel. It’s nice that somebody finally put Sallow in his place. I would’ve done it myself if not for Professor Hecat.” At his compliment you felt your cheeks flush.

“Thank you Leander. It was actually my first time dueling.” You replied, unable to look him in the eye.

“That’s quite impressive. I hope to see more of your dueling feats.” He said, unaware of the way your heart seemed to leap out of your chest.

That day changed many things for you. As you found yourself catching feelings and constantly seeking out Leander. You thought he was charming. You thought he was charming. His smile, his laugh. You especially loved how even if he failed he still tried again.

Your friends did not share this sentiment.

“Prewett? Really?” Asked Natty in disbelief.

Imelda nodded her head. “I have to agree with Natty. He’s a bumbling idiot, and a fool. He probably puts his shoes on the wrong foot.”

You argued back. “I think he’s dashing. So what if he messes up, don’t you think he’s just adorable?”

They simply looked at you.

You sighed. “He’s very brave. Even though he messes up, even if he’s teased, he still tries. That makes him so very valuable to me.”

You reminisced on a time in your 6th year, when a group of Gryffindors laughed at you for messing up a simple wiggenweld potion.

“What kind of idiot messes that up?” One asked.

“How can the ‘Hero of Hogwarts’ be such a dud?” said another.

You thought it was stupid that it bothered you, it shouldn’t have. You’ve fought trolls and hordes of goblins. You didn’t need the approval of some jealous Gryffindors, and yet you still found yourself crying under a tree afterwards.

Their scrutiny hurt. After all you had done for this school people still didn’t like you. It pained you.

As you sat with your knees against your chest looking at the ground, you felt someone sit next to you. It was Leander. You quickly wiped your tears, embarrassed he had found you in such a state.

“O-Oh Hello Leander.” you said nervously, glancing at him. He looked at you with furrowed brows. “What are you doing here?”

“Garreth told me what happened in potions. Don’t listen to those twats.” He said, looking at the ground in frustration.

“It’s okay. It doesn’t really matter.” You told him. Your heart fluttered at the fact he came to find you.

. “It’s not okay. How could they say that to you?” He turned to look at you. “After everything you’ve done for this school, tf they made fun of you for something as simple as a failed wiggenweld potion then there’s no hope for the rest of us.” he chuckled sadly.

“You’re very sweet.” You told him. Your mind felt lighter at his reassurance.

“I’m jealous of you, you know.” He told you candidly, cracking a cocky grin. “You took everything at Hogwarts like a fish to water. I’ve been using magic my whole life and yet I can never do anything correctly.” He smiled as he said this, but you could see his sadness. “If there’s one thing I learned, It’s that you can’t let people get to you easily.”

He patted your shoulder. “We need to get back to the castle before curfew.”

He stood up, and pulled you to your feet.

You smiled at him. “Thank you for your encouraging words, Leander. For the record, I think you’re a wonderful person.” You saw his face turn fuschia, and you let out a giggle.

Now in your 7th year, you decided you would finally work up the courage to ask him out to Hogsmeade.

It was breakfast, and you made your way over to where Leander sat at the Gryffindor table.

“Hello Leander.” You said, as you nervously fiddled with your fingers. He turned to look at you, face stuffed with toast. You giggled at the sight.

“Yes?” he said, looking at you curiously.

“Well, I-um, I’ve been in love with you since 5th year, and I just was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me later?” You waited a beat.

Leander paused.His face turning fuschia once more. It felt like the entire breakfast hall had gone quiet at this confession.

“You want to go to Hogsmeade…with me?” He asked in disbelief. You nodded your head. He stared at you blankly, unable to comprehend how anybody would want to go out with him. You started to falter. He wasn’t responding, you clearly had embarrassed him. Just as you were going to turn away he finally answered. “Yes!” he answered, a little too enthusiastically. He cleared his throat. “Ah- I mean, of course. I would have to be a fool to say no, and I am no fool.”

You felt elated. “So would 3 o’clock be okay?” You asked happily.

“That would be wonderful.” He said, still bright red.

You gleefully went back to your table, feeling this was the start of something beautiful.

——————————————————————————

I Hope you enjoyed this! It’s a bit short but I think I might do a part 2 where they go to Hogsmeade.

[elsweetheart]

ur post about cracking up w lev made me think of like maybe you guys are catching your breath from being attacked out of nowhere and you both start cracking up from when abby had tripped and face planted into a puddle of mud and at the time it was scary but now that you’re safe you two can’t stop laughing at how she fell and abby’s so 😐 like she’s muttering under her breath like “real funny guys. laugh it up.” until she eventually can’t help but laugh too

your first instinct, of course — was to protect lev.

you weren’t exactly a skilled shooter, and as much as you tried to put on a brave face— you still succumbed to a whimper of fear as the clicker ran at you head on. abby had it under control, taking out three of the infected that ran at her due to her being a couple of steps ahead. she spares you a worried glance as your hands shake before exploding the clickers brain. lev is alert, head constantly swivelling to make sure he doesn’t get caught by surprise. “abby watch out!” he yells, and off guard— abby spins back around quickly coming face to face with chomping jaws. she punches it, her strength wounding its weak skull — before punching again and again to ensure it dies. on her last swing, she slipped in the mud— dropping down in a heap next to the dead clicker.

you and lev stare at abby on the floor, holding your breath for a moment until you knew she was okay— just surprised. she groaned, beginning to move in the thick mud.

“man down.” lev comment casually in his sweet, soft voice — and for some reason, perhaps with all the adrenaline pumping through your veins from the close encounter, it really tickled you.

it started off as a little giggle, which he joined you on at his own joke, before you were both clutching your bellies. the laughter only got harder when abby stood back up to her full height, face straight and her entire front caked in mud. you pointed with the hand that wasn’t clutching your stomach, and lev near fell to the floor.

“she stepped on a banana.” you struggled out, and lev fell into you — the two of you holding eachother up. abby was a little pissed and embarrassed at first, waiting for the laughter to die down.

“yeah, yeah. laugh it up.” she shakes her head with an eye roll— which goes barely noticed by the two of you laughing. it had been a week or so on the road, and a while since any of you had had a good, genuine laugh. abby’s heart softened a little bit, seeing the two of you having a joyous moment together — the two people she cares about the most. a smile crept up onto her face at the infectious chortles before she chuckled herself. the two of you lit up even more, victorious. you suppose you never know you’re in the best memories until you’re looking back on them.

[causeitsagame]

Fic: The Cat in the Box (1/?)

Summary: After someone truly dies, Hajime takes it as his responsibility to keep everyone else alive. With an unexpected discovery, he realizes he can go even further than that. Warnings: Character death, obviously. (There will actually be a lot of character death, but most of it won't stick.) Ships: Assume basically everything. But like in the warnings section, most of them won't stick. I'm shameless and will focus the most on my favorite characters, though. Notes: This came about from considering another of the Games Of My Heart: Virtue's Last Reward. I spent about thirty seconds going "tee-hee silly crossover," then promptly started picturing a more serious thematic-only blend. And then I started figuring out how it'd actually work. (So, to be clear, this draws on some worldbuilding themes of the Zero Escape series, but no characters. I just want to play with their pseudoscience with the SDR2 cast.)

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Two years, five months, and sixteen days after the survivors of the Killing School Trip successfully extracted their friends from digital tombs, death nearly reclaimed one of them.

A bonfire roared, bright orange and gold against night's indigo. Its light cast stark shadows across everyone there, where they sprawled comfortably on fallen logs or across the sandy beach. It was high tide, and the rolling waves were still close and loud enough to hear over everyone's conversations. Most conversations, at least. Ibuki gestured grandly with a skewer laden with grilled vegetables and meat. "And she was like pow-pow-pow!"

Mahiru smiled weakly. "Please stop encouraging Akane to attack things. Especially things with such big and pointy teeth." A few seats down, Hajime smirked faintly and closed his mouth. He'd been ready to launch a lecture of his own, but they might as well spread around the oversight.

Hiyoko grimaced as a bit of grilled pepper flew free of Ibuki's skewer, rebounding off her cheek and leaving flecks of char. She sat up from where she'd been sprawled across Mahiru's lap. "Hey! Watch where you're throwing your food!"

"Yes, please just eat your food," Teruteru sighed.

"Can do!" Ibuki cheerfully agreed, and chomped down with characteristic enthusiasm. As much as he cared for everyone there, it was easier for Hajime to appreciate the night around them when Ibuki was busy eating.

Two and a half years together had left room for the worst awakenings to reveal themselves, for optimism to surge over how smoothly recoveries might go, and for resentment to fester when some paths were far harder and longer than others. It'd left time for fissures to form among the group and mend again, and for new habits to bring some people closer together. Others had angled along slightly divergent paths.

They were, in short, mostly out of crisis mode. As they discovered who they were with lifetimes still ahead of them, Teruteru had suggested these regular bonfires. At them, everyone saw everyone, at least once per week. It had been a welcome suggestion, Hajime thought with a smile as he watched Akane proudly describe the animal she'd defeated, ignorant of the glower Gundham directed in her direction. No one wanted to lose track of anyone.

A moment later, mild concern buzzed at the base of Hajime's skull. He didn't hear anything wrong, nor did he see anything amiss as he scanned the far ends of the group. The bonfire still cast its dancing shadows across his friends, but even correcting for that, he couldn't make out any threat. What, then had—

Panic slammed into Hajime as he saw Ibuki silently clutch at her throat, and he realized why it was so terrible that he wasn't hearing anything. His food fell to the ground, ignored. He hauled her roughly off the fallen palm trunk with concern for speed and little else. Gripping Ibuki from behind, Hajime balled his fists around each other and began to apply pressure in short, sharp jerks just below her ribcage. The body in his arms was tense with animal terror, made worse by the pain he was inflicting on her, but he didn't dare stop.

Finally, blessedly, he heard a wet, gasping cough erupt from Ibuki's throat as an oversized hunk of meat flew from her mouth. It splatted against the sand. She inhaled, which dissolved immediately into pained and frantic coughing. I just nearly died, the girl in his arms clearly realized, and Hajime obligingly drew Ibuki into a reassuring hug as she turned around.

Over her shoulder, he could see the rest of the group standing. Teruteru stared at the lump of meat like he'd been the one to nearly kill Ibuki with his own hands, and Nekomaru and Mahiru both took uncertain steps forward, probably wondering how they could help.

"Mahiru," Hajime mouthed over Ibuki's shoulder, not wanting to shout into the poor girl's ear. Thankfully, Mahiru took his meaning and hurried up close. At a whisper, he finished, "Can you and Mikan stay with her?" It only made sense to have the nurse there, but it also seemed wise to have another girl in the room. (Hajime wasn't sure how much lingered in Ibuki's memories about the last time she'd choked.)

Mahiru nodded shakily and pulled the girl into a new embrace. "Hey, hey, we've got you," she cooed. "Everything's okay. There was a problem, but Hajime fixed it. I bet your throat hurts a lot, but it can get better, now. It's all fixed."

Ibuki nodded, but inside Mahiru's grip, she trembled at how close death—true death—had suddenly come to her.

As Mikan came up on Ibuki's other side and began asking gentle, probing questions to assess the extent of any damage, Hajime felt a hand clap his shoulder. "Nicely done," Nekomaru said with audible relief. "In the dark, I didn't even notice her having a problem!"

"Nor did I," Peko said, her stance tense and expression full of regret. "I should have."

"You were way at the end of everyone." Fuyuhiko gripped Peko's arm with a reassuring squeeze. "No reason you would have seen her, right? But Hajime did, so it's fine."

But Hajime did, so it's fine.

There was a problem, but Hajime fixed it.

Exhaling, Hajime felt the worst spikes of adrenaline leave his body. Their lives could sometimes feel like a compass without its needle. But on some days, Hajime could actually contribute a bit of that Ultimate Hope expectation that forever trailed behind him like a shadow. The world beyond these waves still needed help, and they'd spend the rest of their days offering what they could. But at least here, he could reliably keep things going.

Twelve nights later, Nekomaru died.

There was no easy fix, no chance for a last-minute save. There was only Akane's agonized scream as she tried to wake him up, and instead found him peaceful and cooling where he lay. Sonia tried to pull her back, but even with Fuyuhiko's help, the woman refused to move.

"Why?" Kazuichi asked in a tiny, childlike voice. He sounded desperately confused, like he didn't understand why he had yet to wake up from what had to be some terrible nightmare. This can't be real, echoed many of the stunned faces around them, hollow-eyed and shaking. This can't be real.

The few who'd heard about Nekomaru's heart condition looked different. They were sad and quiet and pained, but in a softer, more regretful way. Not knowing to expect this meant that Nekomaru had been hiding how he felt in the lead-up to the end.

Eventually, Akane was pried away from Nekomaru's side and allowed herself to be comforted. But while most of the group encircled her, the two of them who'd known the most about Nekomaru's health walked silently away.

"Was there…" Mikan swallowed as guilt choked her. "Was there anything we could have done?"

Hajime studied the ocean in silence. Gentle white cumulus clouds spotted the sky, dappling the ocean below with enormous rounded shadows. Between them, sunlight glimmered off rippling waves. Soaring seabirds swept across the ocean in huge, searching arcs, and cried to their companions as they passed briefly over the beach. "No."

Nekomaru needed an intricate cocktail of drugs to stave off his symptoms, which Hajime had mostly managed to obtain. Either through Makoto's help, his own synthesis work, or a few targeted visits to facilities that wouldn't (much) miss those bottles, the chemical side of Nekomaru's treatment had been handled.

But once the right chemical approach had been found, he'd still need a heart transplant. He'd been aware of that ever since school, when doctors were still trying to figure out the precise treatment plan needed for his fit, yet desperately vulnerable physique. And then… and then everything fell apart, and if Nekomaru felt his heart weakening in his chest, he probably welcomed it.

They all pieced themselves back together after the world ended, but that clock kept ticking. There were no transplant centers here, and some of mankind's greatest villains would never have the hope of a donated organ offered to them. Nor were there accessible facilities clean or sterile enough to manufacture an acceptable synthetic substitute. And so the clock ticked, and ticked, and eventually, it ran out.

There had been a cardiothoracic surgeon in some year at Hope's Peak, apparently, because Hajime knew exactly the steps he would have taken to remove a failing heart and implant a working one. But a certain path had led them all to this beach, and that path offered no chance to obtain what Nekomaru had needed to stay alive. Even the greatest surgeon alive couldn't perform a transplant operation without the transplant.

"No," Hajime quietly repeated as he watched more clouds roll in. The weather might turn toward a storm, soon. "There was nothing we could do."

The world's Ultimate Hope, it seemed, had his limits.

* * *

Nearly a month later, Hajime looked up from the computer panel under his fingertips. "Once I bring it down, the security system will reset in twenty minutes."

"Shouldn't be a problem," the Imposter said, reviewing the facility layout. "We can get to the room in under eighty seconds."

"You're sure?" That felt awfully precise for a building they hadn't personally seen.

"We've done a lot of these missions," Peko reminded him, pinning her braid into a tightly coiled bun. "We have the timing down well. With so much leeway, Hajime, you should first take the time to see if there are any other rooms that should be investigated."

"Don't borrow trouble," Fuyuhiko grumbled as Hajime leaned back in to study the facility map.

Fuyuhiko and Sonia ran logistics, well aware that their talents didn't lie in field operations. They were the ones who'd tracked down exactly which plutocrats were taking the most advantage of the wounded world, and where they kept the resources they'd greedily stockpiled. They also came up with cover stories. When one of those would-be profiteers tried to ship a train's worth of grain through a starving countryside, the Remnants of Despair 'tried to hijack the food for their own nefarious ends.' But that hijacking attempt was (deliberately) foiled, and rather than being stolen by them or sold for grossly inflated profits, the food was looted by nearby towns.

As Sonia and Fuyuhiko predicted, the local news cheerfully reported that the Remnants of Despair had been foiled, and everyone else's world grew a bit brighter. Few things cheered people up like beating the bad guys.

Fuyuhiko was the one who'd located this latest stockpile of goods, after carefully backtracing some black market drugs to their source. Unlike Nekomaru's specific—but otherwise obtainable—medicine, these experimental chemicals were far rarer and kept on a much tighter leash. But, as near as Hajime could tell, this stockpile of drugs was the only chance left for Nagito.

As the security scan kept adjusting itself on Hajime's console, Fuyuhiko cast a worried look at it, and then at the other people there. "That looks like a lot more than they usually put in these security systems. You're absolutely sure you need to head in there?"

Hajime felt nerves twist in his gut as he studied the Imposter and Peko, and then reviewed the monitor again. Though both of them clearly accepted the risk they were taking, Fuyuhiko was right: this was far more dangerous than usual.

Noting his expression, Peko calmly asked, "Is there a reason you pushed Fuyuhiko to find these drugs, Hajime?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"What is it?"

Hajime bit his lip. Memories flooded back with horrible, audible precision: an arrhythmic click clack clack as Nagito's metal fingertips stopped cooperating. Nagito's nervous system was now struggling inside a dying body that had beaten every supposed deadline imposed upon it. But if his nerves could no longer properly control that prosthetic, then other parts would also inevitably fail. Electrical signals would no longer travel down his nervous system with sufficient precision to fill his lungs with air, or make his heart beat. Another clock was ticking down its last moments. "These drugs, so far as I can tell, are about the only chance left to keep Nagito alive. He says he's been dying for a while, now, but…"

"But now it's finally happening," the Imposter gravely finished.

Fuyuhiko grimaced, but said nothing.

"So our options are to put ourselves at some serious but brief risk," Peko clarified, "or to certainly watch Nagito die."

Fuyuhiko's grimace deepened.

"Right," Hajime admitted. "It's column A or column B. Those are our only options."

"Then of course, we'll retrieve the drugs." The Imposter smiled faintly. "It's not even a question."

Peko nodded, certain and calm.

Sighing, Fuyuhiko looked around the small control building they'd commandeered. A helicopter they'd similarly claimed sat at a spot distant enough to not catch the facility's attention, but close enough to make their escape after the heist. Right now, they were in an unremarkable concrete chamber that hooked up to some unremarkable concrete halls, but some enormously complicated biometric scanners blocked those hallways from the rest of the facility. Once they shut those scanners down, the clock would start ticking. "Can you give us a second?"

Peko and the Imposter looked at each other, surprised, but nodded and stepped away.

Hajime frowned. "What's up?" Two expressions warred on Fuyuhiko's face, and he recognized both of them.

Even so, Fuyuhiko needed a few quiet moments to acknowledge one of those emotions: sympathy. "It's not your fault, you know. Nekomaru. There was nothing that could be done."

In return, Hajime took a few moments to reply. "I know. It just… it doesn't make it feel any better."

The sympathy in Fuyuhiko's good eye deepened. Hajime was blessed with a bounty of friendship, now that everyone was awake. The Imposter was a rock in stormy seas, always certain while others faltered. Mahiru led the conversations that others would rather avoid, but were necessary for the tiny world they were trying to hold together. Everyone had their own light they brought to the group, and like the colors in a rainbow, he wouldn't willingly give up any of them.

But if Hajime had to pick a single ear to hear him, or a single voice to talk to, it'd be the man in front of him. Fuyuhiko's notoriously private personality only truly opened up for Peko and Hajime; even the other survivors were held at least a slight distance. In good days, and many bad ones, that friendship felt like a blessing. Right now, though, it left Hajime feeling like an insect pinned to a card for study. Fuyuhiko knew him too well.

"It 'doesn't feel better' because you don't actually believe it," Fuyuhiko decided. "You still think that there's something else you could have done."

Hajime considered arguing, and didn't bother. "It's just…"

"Don't say that goddamn 'Ultimate Hope' word, or I swear I'll end this mission."

"Ultimate Hope is two words."

"Fuck off." Fuyuhiko sighed and ran a hand across his face, then adjusted the eyepatch he'd bumped out of place. Now, instead of sympathy, blunt realism filled his voice. That was the other thing Hajime had seen in his expression. "We're all going to die, you know. Eventually."

Grimacing, Hajime wondered, "Is this supposed to be a pep talk?"

"It's supposed to be a 'don't throw away lives' talk." With a heavy, meaningful stare, Fuyuhiko studied Hajime. "Can they actually get these damn wonder drugs? You've seen the security protocols, and you know how the team operates. Because if we're only here because you feel guilty over Nekomaru, and there's not a real chance of success, I'm calling this."

Silence was his answer. Hajime's shoulders rolled, hoping that'd throw off the sharp tension that had developed at the base of his neck. It didn't work.

"Nagito's next on the chopping block," Fuyuhiko murmured, with less bite to his words, but no less sincerity. "These drugs can push that timeline out for him, sure, but… everyone's going to die. Eventually. But if you still feeling guilty over Nekomaru makes you insist on an impossible run for them, and Peko's the next to go, instead…" He trailed off, not needing to finish for Hajime to understand his meaning: it'd feel like a betrayal deep enough to ruin every type of relationship they had.

Hajime stood there in silence for a while, and then looked back to the security panel.

Fuyuhiko was right. If Peko and the Imposter tried to do this run, they'd probably wind up dead. Maybe they could have done it with their typical third, maybe, but Akane had always been a wildcard. A capable one, but a wildcard, and she still wasn't in the right mindset to focus on any serious mission. And so, they'd come with just the two of them.

If Hajime insisted on sending them in there to give Nagito a few more years, he'd likely be trading two lives for one. And he'd be doing it only because of his useless, misdirected guilt over Nekomaru.

Dammit, Fuyuhiko knew him too well.

But there was another way, Hajime realized, and straightened his stance. "It'll work. Zero question."

Unconvinced, Fuyuhiko raised an eyebrow. "What changed? 'Cause you sure as hell didn't look that confident a second ago."

"Simple. I'm going in, too."

Fuyuhiko's eye widened.

Even though Hajime was the most capable of them—the strongest, the fastest, with the most skills at his disposal—Fuyuhiko never planned any mission that put him on the field. Sonia had, at first, but then Fuyuhiko took her off for a long talk. Though Sonia never said anything, she too began putting Hajime in support roles: disrupting communications, overriding systems, electronically commandeering vehicles.

The reason for their concern was obvious: Hajime was the world's most valuable lab rat. If he were seen on the field, it wasn't just that he'd be at risk of the horrible fate of re-capture. Beyond that, his mere presence could make their enemies decide that it was worth rerouting all their resources in his direction. Situations could abruptly change for the extreme worse, far beyond what Fuyuhiko or Sonia had planned for.

Fuyuhiko spat, "If that's your solution, then I'm pulling the mission."

"No, you're not."

"Everyone agreed that when we do a mission, you all listen to me and Sonia. Well, this is my mission, so you listen to me, Hajime. You are not going in there."

Hajime reached over and tilted the security panel in Fuyuhiko's direction. "I am going in there, because I need to crack open room 2-C."

Uncertain, Fuyuhiko glanced at the panel. "The drugs are in 2-F."

"Right. According to the Imposter, we can be in 2-F in under eighty seconds. I'll have plenty of time to check the other room."

Barely contained anger nearly made Fuyuhiko vibrate where he stood. Even after years, he never did well with being challenged, and being simultaneously worried about Peko and Hajime only worsened his mood. "Then what's in 2-C?"

"It's the tech that let this facility manufacture those drugs in the first place. With it, we won't have to make any more runs for Nagito. We could have made our own stockpile for Nekomaru. And we'll be prepared for anything else that happens to anyone," Hajime lied.

Or maybe that wasn't a lie; that massive power supply leading into room 2-C could be for some amazing drug synthesis process. But they were about to break into a facility run by one of the world's leading technocrats-slash-plutocrats, and room 2-C's electrical network must make it the beating heart of that facility. Their target was someone who kept food out of babies' mouths and manipulated governments to his whims. Whatever technology he used to keep himself on top would certainly do better in others' hands, right?

"Shit," Fuyuhiko decided. "Review the security protocols again to see how fast they can notice you. And check to see how quickly they can get any reinforcements here!"

Hajime did, and nodded. "It's doable. Instead of having a deadline of the security system resetting in twenty minutes, we can expect a much bigger threat response. But their absolute top speed mobilization would be twelve minutes."

The others had returned to hear that, and the Imposter nodded calmly. "It does sound doable."

"Shit," Fuyuhiko spat, and stared daggers at the security panel. "Goddamn fucking shit. If you get yourselves killed by being the world's biggest dumbass, I'm pissing on your fucking corpse."

Hajime smirked. "Love you, too."

"Fuck off. You'll all head straight to the helicopter when you come out. I'll have it ready to lift off."

"Affirmative." Peko sounded as calm as the Imposter had. If the two of them really had controlled themselves that much, it was a neat trick; Hajime's heart sped in his chest. "Hajime, we're ready to begin at any time."

"Right." Hajime hesitated. He wasn't used to being in the field, and it felt like he should correct to, "Affirmative." He really didn't have experience on the ground like the two of them, and this would be one hell of a learning curve. He was about to send them all two hundred feet into the air without a net, and then he'd make it worse by chasing down whatever was behind the door to room 2-C.

As he lifted his hands to begin the security override process, Hajime's eyes flicked momentarily to the scars running along his arms. Circular marks for countless IV lines, until they'd realized they should instead install a permanent intravenous port on their subject's chest. Faded but still-ragged scars where they'd asked their subject to measure his enhanced strength, and didn't expect him to actually punch through metal. The scars across his forehead and his discolored eye were the most dramatic showcase of what had been done to Hajime, but his entire body was marked by the Kamukura experiment.

There could be some very, very dangerous things that had been shoved into a secretive room and left to rot behind security.

Even so, Hajime suddenly felt like he had to do this. Whether some sort of higher level calculation, or simply raw, unpolished hope, a voice whispered that he simply could not leave without whatever sat in that room. And so, his hand tapped the console and brought down the facility's security.

Another clock was ticking.

"Come on," the Imposter instantly ordered, and they ran for the facility doors encircled by biometric scanners. As they did, Fuyuhiko bolted in the other direction, toward the helicopter.

Ten seconds later, Hajime studied the biometric scanners as the Imposter reached for them. Before that work could begin, Hajime ripped off one scanner's panel and precisely plucked one nearly-hidden wire out of place, and swapped another wire into its port.

Peko's eyebrow raised as the doors slid open. "Estimated assault timeline down to fifty-five seconds, then," she said before slipping through the narrow gap. Hajime and the Imposter followed shortly after.

Though this facility was one of the most protected places on the planet, run by one of its richest men, it was best described as 'functional' and little more. At least in this sector, it was nothing but a bleak warren of concrete tunnels lit by flickering fluorescents. It didn't feel like it could hold anything astonishing, and yet, Hajime saw a sign for room 2-C and marked it in his memories in flashing neon lights. Soon.

By the time they caught up with her on the path to room 2-F, Peko was already dropping one guard to the ground. Even though this facility's owner had caused countless deaths by withholding food and medicine, she'd used a non-lethal hold on his employee. Applying pressure to the carotid artery was an efficient way to knock someone out, and all three of them rushed forward to repeat that move on every guard in-between them and their goal.

"Target acquired," Peko soon reported as the Imposter carefully retrieved the vials of experimental drugs. Though they couldn't stay out of refrigeration for long, a cooler full of ice waited on the helicopter. Nagito probably had another two years, based on the number of vials, and finding another supply would further extend that timeline.

"Okay," Hajime briefly said as the Imposter tucked away his prize. "Follow me." His feet pounded along the corridor they'd come down, and footsteps echoed loudly through this concrete tomb. This time, six more guards had to be dropped along the way; the alert had gone out, and more of them were coming.

Even with the security system down, the door to 2-C remained locked. "It must be on another circuit," Peko sighed. "Hajime, we might not be able to—"

He gripped the door handle, then ripped free the hardware with one firm jerk.

"You do change the mission calculus," the Imposter admitted as they hurried into the room, only for a bullet to ricochet near his head.

"Get back," Hajime snapped, and instinctively reached for an array of USB drives that sat on a nearby desk. This room was a concrete tomb like the rest of the facility, but instead of medical supplies, it was filled with what looked like standard computer servers. What did this room hold, and why had its staff barricaded themselves in here with guns?

Peko grimaced as she and the Imposter ducked behind another desk. "Hajime, don't—"

Ultimate Ninjutsu, Class 22. (Some part of Hajime's memories lectured that the student had wanted to be known by that, and not as an Ultimate Ninja.) As more shots rang out, his hands instinctively flicked the USB drives like throwing stars. They exploded in a rain of metal and plastic.

"Shit!" one of the employees yelled. "The software!"

It was the distraction he needed, and Hajime was able to rush further into the room and find every employee hidden between rows of server racks. They looked like scientists, rather than the trained guards in the halls, and they were much easier to drop.

As Hajime lowered the last scientist to the ground, he became aware of two sets of footsteps coming up behind him. "Hajime," the Imposter breathed, sounding shocked. "You—"

"They're superficial," Peko decided. "Still, you shouldn't have taken that risk, Hajime. Finish your work quickly, and let's go."

Superficial? Oh. Hajime looked down at himself and noticed bloody spots spreading across his shirt. His brain had calculated the perfect pattern of movement through the facility, but apparently, it had allowed for a half-dozen mild wounds as payment for reaching his goal. As he'd willingly turned himself over to his instincts, he didn't even remember hearing those shots fired, let alone feeling the impacts. "Right. Let's go."

Twenty seconds more, and he found his goal hidden among the server racks. Whatever this unique computer was, it didn't look like anything Hajime was familiar with. Pure gold ran through it in intricate ribbons, rather than typical plastic-shielded wiring. There were plugs of additional elements that he couldn't recognize at a glance, but knew weren't used in any normal electronics.

"What is it?" the Imposter wondered.

"I don't know, yet," Hajime admitted, even as he reached for the power cables.

Whatever it was, it was a hell of a lot heavier than it looked. Hajime grunted as he managed to pry it off its stand; he needed both arms to grip the child-sized computer. "You two are going to need to handle any guards."

Peko nodded, a sharp jerk. "That's fine, we're near the exit. Let's hurry."

On the route between 2-C and the exit, Peko and the Imposter had to bring down another dozen guards. Hajime's estimate of their safe mission timeline had assumed that he'd be able to fight, too, but the weight of this computer had turned him into only a delivery boy. When they made it back into the command room and then headed out into the earliest hours of dawn, some relief washed over Hajime. It didn't totally fill him until they were climbing into the helicopter, though, and watching the city's morning lights fade into the distance below.

At the controls, Fuyuhiko let out a visible sigh of relief. They'd made it.

Right. The first priority was to get those vials into the cooler, and the Imposter did so with great care. Once done, Peko and Hajime carefully secured the cooler against the wall so that it wouldn't jostle with any turbulence.

Adrenaline took a while to fade, and they were five minutes into the air by the time Hajime thought about his extra prize. He studied the computer with open curiosity, joined by Peko and the Imposter. From his seat up front, Fuyuhiko wondered, "What the hell is that thing?"

"I don't know," Hajime admitted. "Hey, need any help flying?"

"I wouldn't turn down someone keeping watch on the radar."

As Hajime moved for the front of the helicopter, Peko cleared her throat. "Let me," she murmured. "We don't want to distract our pilot."

"Distract?" Hajime echoed, only to look down at himself when Peko gestured. Ah, right. This was a large helicopter and so they weren't easily visible in the far back. But if Hajime came up beside Fuyuhiko, then Fuyuhiko would certainly notice the drying patches of blood all over Hajime's clothing. And he'd get pissed. "Gotcha."

"He's going to yell at you for this later, you know," the Imposter wryly murmured as Peko made her way to the co-pilot's seat.

"Fuyuhiko can yell at me all he wants… after we've landed," Hajime replied, just as wryly. "Okay, time to figure out just what this thing is."

"Do we want to wait on that until we've landed, as well? What if turning on the system interferes with electronics?"

"Fair point," Hajime allowed, studying the odd computer he'd carried out of that billionaire's compound. It was nothing he recognized, though with all the knowledge crammed into him, he was certain that he could figure it out. Even so, seeing such an odd device reminded him that knowledge had kept moving since Hope's Peak had studied and measured some talents, and that not every talent in existence had attended the school.

He'd actually need to investigate this thing to make any sense of it. That was unexpected, and a little exciting.

Minutes later, Hajime looked down at where he'd idly shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hmm."

"Hmm?" the Imposter echoed.

"Hmm," Hajime repeated, and pulled his hand free of its pocket. His fingers lightly gripped one USB stick, taken from room 2-C. "Apparently, I didn't throw all of them." With his blind, talent-fueled instincts in the driver's seat, Hajime hadn't remembered shoving this unneeded bit of 'ammunition' into his pocket and out of the way.

The Imposter studied that USB stick with deep thought, then met Hajime's gaze. "When the other drives were destroyed, didn't the employees mention… software?"

Hajime grinned. No, he didn't remember hearing that from them, but it was exactly what he'd hoped for. "Do we have a laptop anywhere on this helicopter?"

Shortly, they looked at the computer they'd found in storage. Its power supply was disconnected from the helicopter, and its network card disabled. Whatever program they might be about to launch, they weren't going to risk it disrupting the helicopter's flight. "All right," Hajime said, and clicked the USB drive into position. "Let's see what they were doing."

The Imposter scanned the filenames that popped up, and frowned in thought. "It's apparently a quantum computer. Is that so unusual?"

Hajime considered the files in front of him. "Not especially. They're pretty rare, but it's just a computer that's able to perform calculations of greater complexity by leveraging manipulations of quantum entanglements and superpositions."

The Imposter looked at him sidelong. "Ah. Of course."

Hajime shrugged. There had been enough talents at Hope's Peak to know that much, at least.

"Well, we could certainly do with a supercomputer," the Imposter continued, turning back to study the device. "I'm sure that Sonia and Fuyuhiko would be able to identify many more opportunities to perform our own unique kind of… assistance."

"Right," Hajime murmured as he continued clicking through files. The same voice that had told him to visit room 2-C now insisted that there was more to discover, and his fingers kept tapping down the list of filenames. On impulse, he opened one and began reading.

It took him three tries to understand what he was seeing, and not for lack of ability. It was simply that hard to believe. "This is… this isn't how a quantum computer normally works," Hajime croaked.

"Hmm?"

Hajime swallowed hard. "Normally, quantum computing takes advantage of matter behaving as both a particle and a wave. That uncertainty leads to enormous potential, if it can be harnessed."

The Imposter studied him. "And what does this device do, then?"

Hajime reread the file a fourth time before answering. This couldn't be possible, and yet… "With this computer, the uncertainty it's harnessing… the simultaneous states of existence that powers it.. it doesn't come from how matter naturally behaves."

"What does it do, then?" the Imposter repeated.

"Timelines." Hajime turned and stared at the computer lined with gold rippling beautifully across its surface. "It's accessing different timelines."

"Different timelines?"

"That's what the software says," Hajime helplessly confirmed. "This computer is apparently so powerful because it's also calculating information across other timelines. Realities. Whatever you want to call them."

"Well, then." The Imposter blinked at the computer, befuddled. "That's quite a prize we retrieved, then. Although I'm not exactly sure what we'll do with it, I'd rather have in our hands than his."

"Right," Hajime murmured. "Definitely."

Other timelines.

But a certain path had led them all to this beach, and that path offered no chance to obtain what Nekomaru had needed to stay alive.

Other timelines.

Other timelines.

Staring at the rippling rivers of gold, Hajime heard his pulse speed in his ears. He fixed things, didn't he? That was his job.

Other timelines.

He fixed things.

Other timelines. Other timelines. Other timelines.

He fixed things. Ultimate Hope. Other timelines. He fixed things.

"Hajime?" The Imposter nudged him. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Hajime whispered, and turned his attention back to the software code. "I'm great."

[hatchetno1]

hi! I'm not sure if u take requests rn or not, if ur not u can just ignore me, but if u are could I plsss request a head canon of what ej would be like w/ a male s/o who's also an eldritch demon like him that also somewhat of a cannibal :)

hey there!! sorry for the long wait, i just got on break from another hobby (skull emoji here)

im sorry it's kinda short but i hope you enjoy anyways!

“a cannibal, eh?” he would remark, after finding you chomping away furiously on his stash of kidneys.

he’d noticed you were somewhat reserved about your eating habits and, at the dinner table, would only meekly poke at your food.

of course, why wouldn’t he figure it out? he was the same when faced with normal food for humans, too.

and from then on he would be more open about food around you, though it did startle you quite a bit.

“it’s okay,” he would say, your name rolling off his tongue just the way you loved it. “you know, there are still cannibals in tribes out there. it’s not as shameful as you think it is.”

you pouted at his piss poor reasoning, and he cackled as his eldritch boyfriend’s lips produced such a childish expression.

“I’m just kidding. we eat humans, and we’re strange eldritch demon beings. i’d say we eat food that’s normal for our species.”

and that immediately killed your distaste for your diet.

he’d take you out to hunt for human organs with him, both of you meticulously cutting out your food from their meat bags.

it does depend on the type of organ you prefer. ej eats kidneys and will only take one from each human, leaving the rest of them untouched and alive.

but if you require a heart, ej stands by idly as he watches you kill your prey, and will step in to grab both the corpse’s kidneys. convenient for you, convenient for him.

and as for the fact that you are male? it doesn’t bother him.

in fact, he’d say he was so painfully attracted to you precisely because you are male.

“all my crushes when i was human were female,” he’d confessed. “but that just makes you even more special, no?”

you giggled, and in that moment he decided that a male eldritch cannibal was his favorite kind of beautiful.

[cerise-on-top]

Can you do mini/or long headcanons of Hank, Stanford, Deismo and their relationship dynamic with a unbelievably cute reader?

Hey! Sure I can!

Hank, Sanford and Deimos with a Cute!Reader

Hank: I think he gets cuteness aggression from you. Not the kind where he wants to squeeze you and pinch your cheeks, but the kind where he would like to straight up murder you in the most horrible ways you can imagine. Naturally, he holds himself back because he loves you, but the urge is very much there and it’s extremely strong too. Starting at the way you smile at him, to the way you dress. It sort of reminds him of his brother, Skittles. Of course, with Skittles there are no romantic feelings involved, but sometimes he wants to beat both of you to death because you’re just so cute. However, because Hank is pretty much the most feared grunt in Nevada, no one will ever try to dull your spark, he will make sure of that himself. Although it may seem pretty weird, he actually appreciates your aesthetic beauty quite a lot and can be caught just staring at you fairly often. It does something to him on a chemical level. Sometimes he also just likes to accompany you as you go about your day. You could just be chilling on the couch, cuddling one of your stuffies, he’ll be there with you. Sometimes he’ll get you things he thought might look cute on you, such as a little pin or a flower. From time to time he’ll deliberately think about you while smashing in the skulls of his enemies, it makes him more powerful. Worst he’ll do to you will be gently taking your face in his hands, though. Might tap his fingers against whatever he can reach whenever you’re near as well. Give him a kiss on his forehead and the tapping becomes almost frantic in its speed. He doesn’t really know how to deal with you being this adorable.

Sanford: Another one who suffers from cuteness aggression. However, he will let it out on you. It’s not nearly as dangerous as Hank’s, so he will pinch and squeeze and hold to his heart’s content. Will also rub his cheek against yours if you’re being especially cute that day. Like Hank, he will bring you things that will bring out the cuteness in you. Unlike Hank, the gifts he gets you are more in tune with what you would actually like. Sanford got a pretty good understanding of what you’re like, your likes and dislikes, so he knows what you will enjoy. He actually thinks about sewing or tailoring something for you so you can look especially cute, but he won’t go through with it since he doesn’t really have the skills or time to do so. Whenever you’re jamming out to your favourite tunes in the kitchen while baking a cake he just smiles as he watches you. While he won’t say anything to garner your attention in the moment, he’ll mention to you later on that you’re just the cutest little pudding in the entirety of Nevada. He does that while pressing his forehead against yours. Sometimes, while the two of you are cuddling on the couch, he will sing praise to you about your looks and personality and how much he loves you. However, as soon as someone tries to hurt you, someone as cute and innocent as you, he will turn sour and get out his hook. Alternatively, since he doesn’t want to hurt you, he will just kidnap them and torture them, he is a known torturer, after all. Sometimes he does believe that you’re too good for him, given how sweet you are, but he reminds himself that you chose him as well.

Deimos: His cuteness aggression isn’t nearly as bad as that of Hank or Sanford, but he’s a biter. You’re giving him the cutest smile? Chomp. You’ve got a gift for him? Chomp. You wanna give him a small kiss on his cheek. Chomp. You get the idea. Sometimes he bites down hard too, depending on how cute you’re being. It’s not enough to draw blood, but it can leave you bruised and hurting for quite a while. Since he likes to draw quite a bit, he sometimes tries to draw you, all the while trying to capture your cuteness. He doesn’t succeed very often since he usually just draws caricatures and the likes, but when he does he feels very proud of himself and likes to show it to you. Is not above fighting for you either. Sure, he prefers combat when he has a gun that he can shoot from further away, but if he needs to he will get his fists bloody for you as well. As soon as they make you feel bad he will get into a fight for you. Considering he likes to talk, sometimes he doesn’t shut up when talking about how adorable you are. That could be either when talking to you or to someone else. Sanford has already told him a few times to be a bit more focused since he can be all lovey dovey once he’s alone with you. Sometimes, as he just takes you in, he gets the goofiest look on his face. Deimos has been called out for this a few times here and there, but he won’t ever change himself when it comes to you. He’s been absent quite a few times already, just because he was thinking about you and how cute you are, personality and all.

[aphroditesmoon]

halfling

boromir son of denethor ii x half-elf!reader

summary: despite being half elf, the mortal man of gondor becomes a necessity in your life to keep you away from harm.

warnings: black cat/golden retriever pairing, 10th walker reader.

°°°

You were sure this was how you'd die. Embarassingly hanging from a tree branch, your pinkie finger holding on to it with all it's strength, an apple bitten in your mouth like a monkey that never learned how to swing.

Your thoughts cuts off violently as your finger finally slips.

Screaming through the apple, your eyes press close as you swoosh down from the large tree, expecting a hard landing that would probably cost you a cracked skull or a broken spine. You heart felt as of it it had jumped out of your body when you finally stop falling. Your body being caught by the familiar arms of your friend instead of the hard ground of grass.

One of your arms instinctively wrap around Boromir's neck while you chomp down on your apple and caught it with your free hand.

"Oh Boromir!" You gratefully sang out, mouth still full of the apple. He had his repetitive frown engraved on his face as he glare daggers at you. "You never learn, do you halfling?" He asks sternly, though you knew he was teasing. You hummed as a response and shook your head at him, continue your apple eating as he walks faster with you in his arms, trying to catch up with the rest of the fellowship.

When you're done eating, you gently slide off him, his hand however remaining at the small of your back in a protective manner as the both of you finally gets closer your companies.

When the fellowship has come to a stop, it was understood that you would all be resting for the night, you look up towards the darkening sky as Boromir walks away to help gather wood for the fire, stealing glances at you from the corner of his eyes.

You were standing at a distance from the hobbits, face glaring up, eyes focused on the faint outlines of the stars that were already showing. He slips up a small smile before snapping his attention back to the woods, setting the fire up.

Your eyes remain on the sky, watching the clouds moving on as the dark begins to envelope your surroundings. You shut your eyes tightly when a burst of wind flew in your direction, basking in the breeze.

It was nice to have the sun out of the way finally, you were sure that if falling down a tree wouldn't kill you, the heat would've.

But now that night has come, the air starts to chill and the fire's enough for warmth.

You don't flinch when you felt Boromir's hand on your shoulder, already hearing his footsteps nearing you seconds ago.

"Will you eat some food the hobbits' brought or will you start perambulating around the forest again until you go missing." His deep voice, though clearly a jest, still sends a shiver down your spine.

You snap your eyes open and looked behind towards him. "I think that apple has quite filled me up for now, and I'm sure the little ones need the energy more than I do."

His face explodes into a grin as he shakes his head before moving his hand from your shoulder to your wrists, pulling you gently with him towards the group to sit down. "Oh do I know that."

You let out a short laugh as you sat down in between him and Gimli. Legolas quirks an eyebrow at you. "What are you two laughing about?" He muses.

"Oh just her inability to behave without adult supervision."

You glared at him with a frown plastered on your face and he doesn't bother to hide how much he doesn't care as he laughs loudly.

Aragorn and Legolas joins in as Gimli makes a quip about how he once found you hanging by your hair from your room's window outside an inn.

"That was one time-" You hissed. "Oh yes I remember that, I had to pull her back up by her hair!" Boromir exclaimed, the memory coming back to him.

The conversation gets worse when the hobbits joined in and Merry and Pippin decides to make a bet on how long you'd be able to survive without getting caught in a tree or disappearing in them.

Aragorn's face was flushed red as he clasp his palms over them, trying to stop laughing. Half of these men were drunk and having the time of their lives bringing up your embarassing moments.

Except Legolas, who was happily leaning againts a tree watching you suffer for their amusement.

"Oh, this isn't fair, what about the time Pippin almost fell into a hole?" You attempted.

"He's a hobbit, holes are his natural habitat anyways, what your excuse halfling." Boromir retorted, earning a smack on his arm from you. "Oh you should be glad everyone's not as boring as you, captain. I'm keeping you busy with my-"

"Impetuous acts? Monkey-like behavior?" He hides a smile when your mouth hangs open, offended.

"I was about to say, productivity."

Gimli snorts, cuddling his sleepy body closer to Legolas, ignorant to your glare at him. Legolas gives you a grin, agreeing with the dwarf.

"Don't worry dove, I quite like being kept busy." He says, leaning closer towards you with his voice lower than earlier.

"Good, because you'll be doing it for quite a while I suspect." You respond with a smirk, the quarrel forgotten.

When his face reaches inches away from you, his breathing, a sound so loud and clear to your pointy ears, you feel your smile slowly disappearing as your heart threatens to jump out your chest.

"Good." He smiles, pecking a kiss on your nose before moving away to lie down and turn his head from your speechless self.

[robbie-roo]

hi would you like to perhaps trade modern animal facts for dinosaur facts.........

WOULD I????

Did you know cats have whiskers on their feet it's right up near their topmost toe it helps them figure out where to pounce when hunting

Shrews are cool as FUCK so because they are so small they need to have a very high metabolism- small body = loses heat faster some of them are as small as almonds!!! they are incredibly powerful hunters and can hold a territory that can be up to over 600 yards!!!! they have to eat a LOT to keep up with their high metabolism so when they hunt they will kill something and leave it there if they manage to catch something else before they finish eating and only once they no longer have any prey to catch will they eat their stockpile, the bodies of their kills are usually stacked up together. Shrews also have super fast heart and breath rates they lose heat super fast and their heart can be up to 800 bpm and their breath up to 500/minute Shrews live in high altitude and climates so how are they keeping their body warm? they use the snow as an insulater! they'll burrow under the snow and use it as a way to keep the heat inside their tunnels. when a shrew is pregnant they will eat a lot more a 7lb shrew will eat 8lbs of food for example- and their milk can shift through lactation for nutrition (colostrum and weaning milk for example)

speaking of reproduction- just like bees male mouse opossums will die right after mating- as they reach their sexual maturity they will go into overdrive they won't eat and have a very high stress level males of this species very rarely survive more than a year

you might know that all animals (aside from primates/humans) have an extra layer in the back of their eye called the tapetum lucidum, this is what eye shine is ot helps soak in light when in the dark

speaking of vision teehee

only primates have trichromatic vision most mammals only have dichromatic vision where they lack the cone rods to see green/yellow colors

ok so hearing right? so most animals other than us have pinna which makes it so their ears can move towards sound but mammals also hear different frequencies like I'm sure you've heard about how cats talk to their kittens in a different way than older cats? humans do that too! when we use baby talk for pets or children but some animals speak out of our frequencies entirely for example mice will sing to each other to find mates!

OK more specific animal facts- beavers are SICK ok so their skulls look like this

see that giant open space behind their front teeth? they use that space to suck in their cheeks to create a blockage and make sure they don't get wood chips down their throat when chomping on trees for their dams

bats have little tiny bumps on their wings for wind turbulence

some fish have electroreception which is when you can sense electric currents by other organisms with like open channels on their cells but so can MOLES!!!

baby cheetas are born with extra fur and slightly different markings to look more like Hyena pups so that they are less likely to be attacked by them

speed round- farm edition (because I was an animal educator at a farm for years)

goats are immune to poison ivy and you can still drink their milk after

horses only breathe through their nose they can't breathe from their mouths

domestic sheep HAVE to be sheared every year as they will just continue to grow wool forever and ever until death

llamas are super clean animals a llama herd will designate one specific area for pooping they're also super good guard animals and are used to kill foxes going after chickens sometimes

emus can run 31mph (the one I worked with named Mu was also mean as hell but they can be super sweet)

bunnies sleep with their eyes open as they are prey animals they also will almost always poop as they are eating and must be eating or at least offered food nearly 24/7 or they will die similar to a shrew

goat horns are connected directly to their skulls and they LOVE when you scratch in-between them for them :)

most animals have a baculum (penis bone) except us and herbivores [that was an adult group fact not a children group fact]

I'll leave it there for now but I always have more >:)

[starry-nights12]

Boots

One Word Prompt(Ekko's POV)

It was windy while we sat under the bridge. The thunder rumbled and cracked in the night sky.

Jinx held my arm, rested her head on my shoulder, and kept her eyes closed while the rain pelted our faces.

Listening to rain was one of the things she and Silco used to do together. I hate Silco but my love for Jinx outweighs it. If doing this makes her happy then I'll do it for her.

Jinx held my hand as we walked to my room. She took off my jacket and let the scarf drop on the floor then led me to the bathroom.

I went to take off my soaked shirt but Jinx put her hands on top of mine and shook her head.

She put her hands on my shoulder, sat me down on the toilet seat, and took my shirt off for me.  She kneeled in front of me and held one of my boots.

"You don't have to. I-"

Jinx scoffed. "You think I don't know that? "She took off one shoe "I'm doing it because I wanna take care of you." She took off the other one.

She then used my knees to help her stand up. Her hand cupped my cheek, "You're my angel."

Pride always swelled in my chest whenever we referred to each other as mine. I could have never predicted that that one day she would ever call me hers.

I tugged on her waistband and she took the cue to sit on my lap. My hand slowly rubbed her thin waist. "I love you, Jinx."

Jinx simply smiled and stroked her thumb across my cheek.

Warmth flowed throughout my body when her soft lips were lightly pressed against mine. Our kiss was brief, so I chased after her for another taste of her sweetness.

Her lips were planted more firmly but were still gentle. Her lips continued their caresses against mine.

She wasn't doing anything lascivious yet my heart was comparable to the storm we witnessed.

She kissed my nose when we separated. Her eyes half-lidded expressed the same feeling I had for her.

I unfasted the strap below her leather crop top and peeled it over her head.

⋆｡˚ 🌨 ˚｡⋆｡🌩˚☽˚｡⋆

Out there, no one knew where she was. She was a looming threat to Pilties. An inspiration to some Zaunites or hated by others for starting the war.

The truth is, she didn't give a shit about any of them. She laughed when I told her about The Inxes

She wasn't interested in politics. She wasn't trying to send a political message. Everyone wondered what her next master plan would be.

She was currently leaning against me, splashing while making her toy shark attack a rubber duck: chomping sound effects and all.

I closed my eyes and leaned further into the tub. Only in my dreams I thiught we'd ever be happy with each other again.

I had it planned out.

Take out his goons first. Silco was a coward. He was always hiding behind paid muscles.

Sevika and Jinx were his most deadliest. I would have to kill them first. After them, Silco was next.

It would have been easy.

If I had my way, I would have relished the sound of Silco's skull cracking against my metal pipe. I would have bashed his face in until it was unrecognizable.

I restrained the smile that wanted to reveal itself. She suddenly became quiet and moved away from me. Even with my eyes closed I knew she started to stare at me. She does that sometimes.

Whenever I was half awake, I could feel her eyes on me. I'd wake up and they'd be the first thing I see.

I opened my eyes to see her holding her legs. "You know it right?" She tilted her head. "That I do. I really do."

Since I was smiling for a different reason, I allowed it to spread. My finger combed through her wet hair, "I know, Jinx."

Jinx mirrored my smile. She encircled her arms around my waist and nuzzled her head on my chest. I reciprocated the hug, my thumb rubbing circles on her back.

We've been dating for almost three months and she hasn't said it.

It went from "like-liking" me to "I do, too." It was essentially her way of "I love you."

But I understand.

She feels like everyone she loves will eventually leave or die because of her. I figured her verbally saying the words out loud for her will...well... jinx it.

The irony could never escape me. 

The girl I planned on killing for years became my girlfriend. If anyone hurt her, I would have to kill them myself.

I had my chance and I hesitated. With how things played out afterward, I'm glad I did.

[alexkaneinq]

I MEED MORE BUG BOIS 😭😭😭 Moth and spider Shigaraki lives in my head rent free. Please more monster bug men getting kinky 😭💕💕 you write kink and BDSM SO well every time your probably one of my favourite sources of that reading material ever. I’m chomping on the bit thinking of a commission but for your list of monsters please; the bug bois

Lol, I also love the buggy boys, and I actually do have a very big spider!shifter story I'm working on called Entangled that maybe I'll pick up again! Please feel free to hit me up with commissions as complex as having a full plot or ones that are just a list of kinks and a monster, I'll have fun working on either! But in the meantime, here's a little excerpt to tide you over!

It's very late when he does finally hear movement from downstairs. A door swinging open and then a brief silence before footsteps begin to move through the house towards the kitchen. Straining his ears to listen for the sounds so hard that when there's a loud thud of something hitting wood, he nearly jumps out of his skin. Far too heavy a sound to be turkeys or rabbits-- Ashton is on his feet, grabs his sword, and moves swiftly from the room and down the stairs. He'd extinguished the lanterns earlier  and the house is drenched in shadow as he moves from the stairs and through the living room. bursts into the kitchen not even knowing what he expects to do if Cyrus has really killed some dumb soul that was wandering-- The webbing catches his blade, sticky and tough enough that he cannot cut through the canopy of it that detaches from the ceiling, and his sword is abruptly yanked out of his hand. He barely has time to register that before there are hands at his wrists, one at his throat, and then the wall is at his back so hard that it knocks the wind out of him as flashing jet and mercury eyes are on him, clicking growl snarling out from behind Cyrus's bared fangs.  Fear constricts his throat. For one sickening moment he's certain those teeth will be gouging into his skull in the next second. But the pain doesn't come. Cyrus loosens the grip around his throat, the clicking trailing off. Then he shifts just a bit, one hand moving to the webs again. His sword clatters to the floor and the movement allows him to see over his shoulder, to the table. To the stag laying still across the surface. An animal, not a person. Doesn't have a chance to be relieved before Cyrus is pressing in even closer, nose running along the side of his throat. Ashton's heart races, heat pricking out over his skin in a tangled mess he doesn't want to examine, more clicking sounds coming out of the other man's throat.  "Now you smell like fear?" Words low and tangled with the inhuman chitters, "But still ripe, in my nest, plucking my webs, offering food. Do you have any idea how distracting you've been?" Hot breath over his skin that's sending gooseflesh out from where it touches. Unarmed, mortal, against a monster that has killed dozens before him. "You need to go back to your room. Let me eat." But the grip around his wrists doesn't loosen, another low chitter leaving him. "Unless you're willing to let me taste you?" And no, absolutely not. He has no intention of ending up as one of the corpses dangling outside. But as another set of his hands wrap around his hips, trying to pull him close, Ashton's brain unhelpfully short-circuits, breath catching in his throat as Cyrus presses their bodies together from shoulder to hip.  The sound the creature makes now is nearly a purr, nosing along his throat again. "Smell so good," "Cyrus," Not sure if it's fear anymore that's making his voice go so thin. Has known that his looks are a trap, really, really not intending to fall for them. Doesn't know if he's trying to tell the creature to stop or to try and snap him out of whatever half-feral state that his hunting has left him in.

[honeysmokedham]

Icarus || Solo

TIMING: The Day of the Trial LOCATION: Saol Eile, the waterfall PARTIES: Declan and Nora SUMMARY: Nora burns Declan's body WARNINGS: Suicidal Ideation tw

Icarus flew too close to the sun. That’s the only thing people know about Icarus. The only fact that matters when it comes to discussing him. In an incredible display of hubris, he flew too close to the sun and it killed him. His hubris. His decision. His death. Nora now knew the truth. It wasn’t hubris that killed Icarus. It was elation. Icarus spent his life locked away. It was never for anything he’d done, but to control his father. Icarus’s crime was to be the son of the smart and talented Daedalus. There was never any choice for him. There was never a moment in his life where he chose to do the wrong thing and end up locked up. There was no reason for him to exist until the day Daedalus slid a pair of wings onto his back and told him he was finally free. 

Icarus saw the sun for the first time. She kissed his skin. She whispered endless possibilities to him. She told him, you can be whoever you want to be now, you’re free. Icarus never knew that happiness before. That level of freedom. How could he practice self-control, when his self was always controlled by someone else? He saw the sun and her beauty, and he was too happy, too excited, too ready to cup the sun in both his hands and kiss her back to say thank you, I’m free.

Nora was Icarus, or was Icarus Nora? And they are falling out of the sky together, leaving a trail of smoke. The ocean grabbed them and ate them alive. The waves chomping against their bodies, Icarus was the lucky one. He got to die. Nora had to live. Standing in the spot they’d shared the best moment of her life, and everything had shifted. Declan was dead. Nora was alive. Her hand gripped on the wheelchair with his slumped body. 

One foot after another. The physical labor kept the shadow at bay. It lounged under Declan’s chair as it watched Nora collect the wood. Sweat and grime coated Nora by the time she’d set up something suitable. Something worthy of Declan. This was her last gift to him. Everything had to be perfect. She laid him on the pyre with all the love and reverence the world had to give. The banshees would not mourn him here, but the waterfall would. It cried around them, maybe the waterfall had always known what would happen at its shore, and was crying the whole time. 

Icarus’s burnt wings set the pyre alight. 

The flame overtook Declan, much the way their love had blossomed. It burned slowly, smoldering under an unsure surface. It took a moment to establish itself, and when it did, it blazed. It flared to life in a beautiful and bright moment that overtook Declan, consuming every inch of him. Nora had held Declan until the moment the flames had gotten too bright, too hot, too much to keep holding. It was Regan’s words in her head that made her let go. She had to live to mourn him, or no one else would. She had to keep her promise to free him, or she’d make this her final resting spot so they could share forever together. 

She let him go with a kiss, leaving with him the Nora she’d been when she’d gotten to Ireland. That Nora died with Declan. She was forever changed. Her canvas would always be stained in the smoke of his pyre. Her picture would always depict the decapitated flowers of their love. Her heart would always be broken and mourning for what was lost.

Through the flickering flame, the rising smoke, and the drifting ash Nora could see the faces of all her failures. Everyone who had been burned by the sun while she flew too close to her beauty. The nameless hunter whose head had rolled across the ground. Debbie, her knife sticking through her skull. The tour group consumed by rock. Everyone she couldn’t save. Everyone she’d killed. They stood there, watching Declan’s body get eaten and turned to ash. They stood there until the pyre burned itself out. They stood there as Nora collected the ash, burning her hands on them as she painstakingly collected them. They judged as she cried. 

Nora left the wheelchair next to the waterfall. She found her phone in a pool of dried blood. She made her way back to Cliodhna’s house. A collection of kneecaps broke under her fingers, but she didn’t feel a thing about it. She packed her bag. She moved Elias upstairs in the clinic, and stored him with her stuff. She stripped and turned into a bear. She headed to a trail. She did it all on autopilot, clinging to the words “You have to live to mourn.”

[stories-and-chaos]

Tarnished pt 29

[Helluva Boss AU where Blitzø’s childhood theft from Stolas’ palace is discovered and major consequences ensue for everyone involved.]

[Part 29/?? Word Count: 1535]

—————

Blitzø continued explaining the upcoming festival. “The locals have a great time and the Pain Games are fun to watch, but I gotta do my bodyguard thing. Don’t even get to play.” He pouted, looking more like a grumpy impling than an adult. “Loonie’s coming for extra security. Dina’s never seen it so she’s tagging along for fun.”

Barbie made a noncommittal sound, mostly acknowledging she’d heard. She sipped her iced coffee, the rattling sound from the straw saying it was now more ice and coffee. She shouldn’t be upset. What was there to be mad about? Besides her coffee running out. There, that was it. She was annoyed about missing a free coffee after therapy. Her tossed cup landed in a trash bin; at least her aim hadn’t suffered from all the abuse she’d put her body through.

Blitzø, also finishing his drink, dumped the ice in his mouth. Gotta get all the chocolate he could from it. His cup followed Barb’s, hitting the rim before falling in. Crunching on his ice cubes, he saw Barb cross her arms and stiffen up. He’d seen her chomp on ice too, so he didn’t think that upset her. “‘Ey,” he said around a mouthful of coffee flavored ice, “‘ou w’nna come wif?”

“Huh? Swallow Blitzø, can’t fucking understand ice mouth dude.”

He crunched and swallowed some, giving himself brain freeze. “You wanna come with?” he repeated once it passed. “You’ve been doing great with rehab, maybe your therapist will clear you for the day?”

Barb blushed a little. Nope, she wasn’t embarrassed that he picked up on her feeling left out. Because she didn’t feel left out! “Well, how else am I gonna get my free coffee?” She huffed, deliberately loosening her shoulders and uncrossing her arms. “Which day is it?”

After giving her all the information, Blitzø realized there was something he needed to mention before she saw him in a public setting with Stolas. “Uh, one thing real quick. I gotta play the whole master/servant bullshit. For appearances and crap.” He rubbed his neck, his discomfort radiating off of him. “And that means I gotta have this.” He brushed his other hand against his forehead where the All Imp Circus mark was.

But when his hand moved away, there was a solid white heart in its place. It was topped by a crown with elegant scrolling lines on either side. Barb felt a flash of rage at the sight. You asshole, you covered up our mark?! Then she saw Blitzø’s expression underneath the changed brand. Hurt, shame, and fear. He couldn’t make eye contact with her. Her twin took a shaky breath and passed his hand over the mark again. It was back to a stylized skull heart.

But his expression didn’t change. “It’s… it’s part of the binding,” he said, voice thick with emotion. Fuck this hurt more than the brain freeze. “I learned enough magick to illusion it back, for when I’m solo. But anything in public with Stolas… yeah.” His voice trailed away.

Something else for her to process. “Well, thanks for the gut punch. Least you didn’t spring it on me at the festival.” Barb’s tail cracked in annoyance as she walked. The tip poked him in the side. “C’mon, I’m hungry and I wanna get back before the cafeteria closes. If you beat me there I’ll let you tell me more over dinner.” She picked up the pace, Blitzø slack jawed behind her.

“Fuck you Barb, you know the way better than I do!” He ran to catch up. He didn’t beat her to the dorm but they still had dinner together. They chatted about less heavy subjects and Barb agreed to the festival, pending therapist approval.

—————

A week later, Barb was waiting at the elevator concourse, not quite patiently. Either Blitzø or one of the girls were supposed to meet her at the Sloth terminal and head to Wrath. Normally, Barb was dressed in some sort of tight miniskirt dress with tall boots. She’d swapped that for denim shorts, sensible shoes, a crop top, and a checkered button up tied under her breasts. No point in her good heeled boots getting stuck in mud or worse at Wrath’s farms.

Loona hopped out of an elevator for foot traffic. Like Barb, she wasn’t wearing her usual goth outfit. Unlike Barb, she was dressed in a dark jacket, slacks, and wore a set of dark shades. “What’re you supposed to be, Men In Black?” the imp scoffed.

The Hound plucked at the jacket. “I know right? Blitzø wants my help with security and this is his idea of a bodyguard outfit. But fuck all happens at this thing. This is the third one I’ve been to and it’s soooo dull.” The two got in line for ascending foot traffic. “By the way, if you and Blitzø are cool now, should we call you Aunt Barb?”

“Fuck no! Makes me sound like an old lady, one that sits around knitting and shit. Just Barb, got it?” The imp glared up at the Hellhound. “And I still don’t know if I’m ‘cool’ with the jerk.’

Loona shrugged and pursed her lips as they boarded. “I mean, you accepted his invite? Been talking after every group?”

“I wanted a change from all that Sloth-pink. And he gets me free coffee.” Loona smirked and let the matter slide, for now. They complained idly together as the elevator steadily rose. Once at the Wrath level, they exited to see a throng of imps outside the terminal, gathering for the festival. “Dad and the rest are waiting at the main tent. You wanna see them first or check things out around here?”

Barb squinted at the harsh orange light. After years of Sloth’s dreamlike hues, her retinas felt like they were burning. “Might as well let Blitzø know I’m here.” They pushed through the crowd; the festival stage and tent were easy to spot amidst the countrified buildings. “Waiaminnit, isn’t that royal here too?”

“Oh shit! Yeah, Stolas, Dad’s with him.” Loona halted a few yards away from the tent. “You gonna be okay? I can let Blitzo know you’re here if you don’t wanna deal with Stolas.”

Barb glared at the fancy tent walls. “Fuck it, I’m here. Let’s rip off this freaking bandaid.”

Living in the circus gave her a flair for drama. She whipped open the tent flap and announced, “Barbie Wire’s here, bitches.” The small group inside all looked at her blankly before her twin walked up.

“Barb! You made it!” Blitzø had a similar outfit to Loona, black jacket and slacks, with dark shades. “Everyone, this is my twin sister Barbie Wire. Barb, you know Loonie and Dina. That’s Millie and next to her is Moxxie; they’re my employees. And this -oh shit.” Blitzø stumbled over his words as he’d just been about to introduce his twin to his master. Barb crossed her arms, suspicion rising over Blitzø’s hesitancy.

“Allow me, Blitzy, darling.” Blitzy? Darling? The Goetia rose gracefully from his ornate chair. His hair feathers almost brushed the tent canopy as he stalked over. Then he bowed deeply, putting his face at eye level to the twins. “A pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Barb. I am Prince Stolas of Ars Goetia.” His deep pupil-less eyes looked sincerely pained as he continued in a voice only the imp twins could hear. “Although it may not mean much at this late day, I deeply apologize for the pain my father put you and yours through.”

Barb shifted uncomfortably. “Just Barb, none of that ‘Miss’ crap. And uh…yeah…” From Blitzø’s side of things, Stolas was as much a victim as he had been in the whole debacle. But she hadn’t been prepared to deal with all that right this second.

“Not the right time Floof,” her twin muttered at the royal. Floof? They have pet names for each other? Stolas gave a surprised hoot. “Right, we can discuss this later if need be. Today is a festival after all. Why don’t you all take a look around before the official event’s start?” Stolas shooed all the smaller demons out into the Wrathian heat. “You too Blitzy, have a bit of fun.” Barb noticed Blitzø’s grimace as the flicker of light shone under his collar.

“You sure you’ll be alright on your own? You remember what happened the second year you hosted,” Blitzø protested as the owl demon continued to usher the group out.

Stolas laughed. “Yes of course I remember darling. You did an excellent job dispatching those assassins and their leader is still making a splendid horse hitch at the edge of town. Ah ah ah!” He shook a long finger at the imp as Blitzø tried to interject. “I promise I shan’t move from this pavilion until you return and any attackers will find themselves encased in stone. I’m sure someone could use a fence post around here.” With that he pushed his lover outside and closed the tent flap with as much drama as Barb opened it.

“Bad idea to piss off royalty boss,” Moxxie called out. “Better do what the prince says.”

“Oh go fuck yourself Mox.”

—————

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[theinvisiblemuseum]

yk the other day i was just laying around and suddenly the great curiousity surronding cannibalism has struck me!! so tell me dear user would cannibals actually make human soup as in keep torso make hole cook insides and human soup inside a human

EXCELLENT QUERY MY PROTÉGÉ. i’m gonna put this under the cut in case ppl who don’t have my cannibal tag blocked don’t want to be vaguely disturbed LMAO

IF YOU’RE STILL HERE WELCOME TO THE TERRORDOME !

ok so i’ve done a little bit of collaboration with my one and only beloved cannibal soulmate @sequinhaze and here are our thoughts on the makings of a proper human soup:

- whole body as the bowl? too much effort, too many holes. the perfect fix for that? SKULL BOWL!

- as far as broth goes, the soup is blood based. excellent aesthetic, i think. so long as the blood isn’t cooked it tastes better. (for legal reasons i can’t answer questions pertaining to this, but trust me)

- bone marrow is also a key ingredient, it adds that bit of salt and flavor that really brings the soup to the next level. if you’re confused or concerned, see harrow the ninth by tamsyn muir for more info

- brunt of the meat should come from the leg, probably the thigh. i’m sure calf meat could slay as well, but it might be too gamey for the texture you’re going for. you also can’t go wrong with ass and tits, you just can’t. 

- use fingers as breadsticks. you can dunk them into the soup, chomp the meat off the bone, discard or display the bones once you’re done with ‘em

- every good soup needs a little crunch. instead of crackers, try vertebrae !

- brains would make for good noodles, if that’s something you’re looking to add, but this is a step you could skip if that’s not really your thing

- last but not least, there needs to be a bit of a flourish, one last ingredient to really make the meal dazzle. my suggestions would be to either get an eyeball in there, or a heart. the heart could overtake the rest of the flavors if you’re not careful, so an eyeball might be a better suggestion for beginners, but i really think a heart could be quite lovely and add that extra OOMPH, yk?

i realize this goes far beyond your inquiry, but i can’t help getting carried away where cannibalism is concerned. don’t report me to the fbi, please, unless will graham is free <3

[asterkiss]

Could you do number 120 from the sarcasm prompts if ur still taking requests? it fits mabel and bill too well!!

(( btw sorry for liking a bunch of ur posts at once, It's easier to save them to read later that way 😭))

Never apologise for binge liking my stuff, seeing it all gives me happy feelings inside! <3

-DEAD WEIGHT

'Hnnnnghhhh!'

'Gross, gross, get off me!' Mabel yelled, batting the zombie off her as the decomposed corpse tried to grab her head. She saw a flash of teeth as it tried to chomp on her arm like a chew toy before a baseball bat swung down upon its skull.

She winced at the crunching noise, scrambling up to her feet as she regarded her saviour with a smile.

Then she realised who it was.

'Oh, it's you.'

Bill smiled. 'Wow, I save your stupid life and that's what I get? You got a stone cold heart there.'

She frowned with concern. 'I thought Dipper was with you.' The two had been together when she'd left them behing bickering to go ahead. Bill hadn't offed him, had he?

'Eh, he's fine. Last I saw him, he was rolling down some hill screaming like a girl.'

Oh, is that what she heard? She thought that was another woman in trouble.

'So,' Bill began, regarding her as the zombie made guttural noises beneath his foot.

Mabel smile back innocently. 'Soooo... what?

They both stared at one another without flinching.

'Shooting Star.'

'Yes?'

His eyes narrowed. 'Y'know, last I checked, there weren't any undead zombies roaming in these woods.'

'Oh, well you see, that's actually a really funny story.'

'Uh huh.'

'See, part of the reason I wanted to check the caves out is because I heard there was this wizard who used to live here and he could answer any five questions you had in exchange for shiny stuff! So, I brought some blank CDs and went to where he was supposed to be but there was nothing there!'

'Nothing?'

'Well, there was this weird stone that now I'm thinking about, was kinda shaped like a coffin? And it had some weird writing on it that I decided to read and.... well, tah dah?' She offered a sheepish smile, holding out her hands towards the thing beneath his feet. Usually it was Dipper who raised the dead by accident and she scolded him. Urgh, he was gonna have a field day having the shoe on the other foot, wasn't he? Noooooo.

'Please don't tell Dipper,' she said quickly.

Before he could reply, the zombie beneath him groaned again. Bill growled, looking down in annoyance. 'Will you shut up!?'

'No.'

They both froze.

'Whoah, did you just talk?' Mabel asked, eyes wide.

The zombie continuned to struggle but a clear voice came from beneath Bill's boot. 'Yes.'

'Ah, it worked!' Mabel gave a jump of delight. 'See, he's answering questions!'

'Yeah, and now you have three left.'

'I- huh?' She paused, thinking over the last few lines of dialogue before she frowned. 'Oh, urgh. Gotta make this one count then.'

'Why did you need a dead wizard to answer your questions? Maths too hard?'

'Yes,' the zombie groaned. Mabel kicked the wizard in the gut before giving Bill a glare.

'You're wasting my questions! And besides, I wouldn't disrespect him like that!' A pause. 'I was gonna ask him if there were any boys who liked me...' The ones in her school so far were being very wary, and she'd been shot down three times already. If she knew where to start with a positive frame to work with, it might be better.

'I can tell ya now there is.'

She blinked, tilting her head. 'Really?'

'Yeah, Gideon Gleeful. Go get him, tiger.'

'Bleh.' She made a face to his amusement.

'Anyway, I'm betting you cast some form of Speak to the Dead spell,' Bill drawled. 'We ask him two more questions, and he'll go back to being dead.'

'Is it really that easy?' Mabel realised her error a second too late as the zombie released a hissed "yes". She groaned in agrravation. Okay, one more question. Gotta make it count!

But before she could ask question both of the duo caught sight of flashing blue lights in the distnace through the treeline. Mabel froze. Cops? Had someone heard their screaming?

'Oooh, that's bad.'

'Oi, grab his legs. Now.'

Mabel took hold of the wizard by his lower half, grimacing when she felt some bare decomposed skin under her fingertips. The guy looked very much like a wizard with a long beard and robes adorning his corpse which has mostly decayed by this point. Gross.

Bill grabbed under his arms, and the two of them began shuffling away from the police lights. Talk about your Monday night.

The demon grinned. 'This is fun.'

'Seriously? We're trying to hide a body!'

'Hey, it's not like we killed him. Heck, you un-killed him technically. Ain't no laws against that. Well, not human ones anyway.'

The sound of movement in the bushes made them both freeze, heads snapping around as the leaves began to move. Mabel felt her heart leap into her throat as a figure stepped out from the overgrowth to reveal-

'Oh, it's just Dipper,' she said, sighing in relief as her body relaxed.

'Sup, Pine Tree.'

'Hnnnghghh,' the zombie groaned.

Dipper stared at them all with wide eyes, gaze dropping down to the zombie in their arms.

'What the hell are you doing?'

But before either of them could respond, a raspy voice cut them to the chase:-

'Flirting.'

'Huh!?'

'What!?'

Three pairs of heads snapped down to watch as the zombie made a peace sign with its fingers and dropped dead for good. Mabel and Bill both exchanged quick glances before grimacing and hastily dropping the wizard on the floor in favour of stepping away from one another.

Dipper continuned to stare on. 'Seriously, what the hell is going on here?